Monday, August 4, 2025

Back to 1985 Summer Concert

 


It’s summer again, with the sun shining brightly. Vancouver’s summer is always mild and comfortable. On a wonderful summer day, perfect for napping, my eyes began to drift closed. Everything was blurry and suddenly I saw a tunnel in front of me — I started walking into it slowly, as if being hypnotized.

Where am I? Is that the theme song from the IYY 85 Youth Festival?
Isn’t this the Hong Kong Coliseum?
And—are those the stars from back in the day?!


Wow! Many Icons of the 1980s!

·        Music legends Alan TamLeslie CheungAnita Mui

·        TVB’s “Five Tigers”: Tony LeungAndy Lau

·        Two of the future “Four Heavenly Kings”: Jacky CheungAndy Lau

·        1985’s newly crowned Miss Hong Kong: Charlene Tse Ning 

·        1984 New Talent Singing Champion: a very youthful Dicky Cheung

·        The rarely seen Michael Kwan

·        Chow Yun-fat, before he left TVB

·        The incredibly beautiful Yammie Lam

·        The charming “gweilo” Keith Kwan Chiu-chung

·        Mak Lei Hong , wife of actor Jackie Lui Chung Yin

And so many more iconic singers and new stars of the 1980s…

It was dazzling, but full of energy and youth!

Suddenly, the scene outside the Coliseum went quiet again. On the ground, I vaguely saw a ticket…



Leslie Cheung concert ticket?!
Venue: Hong Kong Coliseum, Hung Hom
Date: August 4, 1985
Wait... isn’t this 2025? That ticket is 40 years old. Is it still valid?

The Coliseum only opened in 1983, so in 1985, it was still quite new. As dusk approached, I clutched the ticket and walked in. The security guard was friendly and let me sit closer to the front. The audience next to me said she’d been eating instant noodles just to afford the most expensive ticket. Turns out, mine was worth HKD $180—the priciest tier! No wonder I got a front-row seat.


Here he comes!

It’s really Leslie Cheung, rising slowly onto the stage—giving his first-ever solo concert. He wore a blue suit jacket and white shirt, looking fresh and elegant.

He started with the song “The First Time” then followed by another song that I love: "Silently Swimming Upstream", composed by the most famous Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo with lyrics by James Wong.


"Work with heart, work with effort, strive to become a true singer…"
And he did it—this was his first solo concert at the grand Coliseum!

Next came the romantic "Obsession", composed by Michael Lai with lyrics again by James Wong. Leslie’s charming eyes, intoxicated expression, and gentle voice enchanted the crowd.


Then came "I’m Willing":

Like sleeping cradled in clouds
As if lost in a cloud-like dream
With you, everything’s beautiful
Even our breaths feel poetic.

It sounded like a beautiful poetry.

Time for some upbeat tracks—he performed two Japanese cover hits: "Monica" and "Wild Wind" — both huge at the time.

He even stepped down to shake hands with fans—people swarmed in front of me with excitement!


Next was the theme song for The Duke of Mount Deer, starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau. It started with powerful music, leading into the light-hearted "Luck Will Come Eventually".


After the cheerful vibe, it was time for more romance. Leslie changed into an orange shirt and white suit jacket to sing the sweet ballad "Tenderness and Affection":

Please listen to me
Please tell me your history tonight
Please whisper to me
Please show me your history tonight


Then the mood shifted again as he performed the edgy dance track "Love Cross", showing off his wild side.

Finally… my favorite song:
"A Moment", with its beautiful, moving melody—it completely drew me in. So romantic and familiar, because the English version is none other than 
"Casablanca."



He followed with another classic love song, "I Am Sentimental by Nature", with composer Michael Lai at the piano. It felt like every female fan imagined herself as Mo Siu-Nung, Leslie’s lover in the drama Once Upon an Ordinary Girl.


Leslie joked, "The love song is written by this chubby guy!"—referring to Michael Lai, his mentor.
Of course, they sang a duet: the melancholic "Blue Mood", which Leslie performed running and singing—absolutely giving his all.


And then—let’s get wet?!


Because the next song was "H2O". My Form 1 Chemistry teacher taught us H2O = water, Leslie’s song… ever since, Leslie’s H2O is what stuck in my mind.

Midway through, he changed into a yellow outfit—still just as handsome and stylish.


Concerts often feature guest stars, and this one brought out another icon: Anita Mui. She sang "Love is Over", followed by a duet with Leslie—"Fate".
Such feelings are worth remembering…


Alan Tam had his "Romance on a Rainy Night", and Leslie had his "Romance in the Rain". Both were adapted from Japanese songs but had different styles. Leslie wore a trench coat as he sang a playful "Rhythm of the Rain".



After that, the performers took off their raincoats. The female dancers were so sexy—most likely they were from Miss Aerobic Beauty Pageant at TVB in 1985.

Next, we returned to heartfelt ballads. Dressed in a white shirt, white pants, and a unique vest, Leslie sang "My Devoted Self" and "For You Only".
Of course, he didn’t forget the iconic "The Wind Blows On".




Before I had enough of his charming gentleman look, he changed again—this time into a refreshing summer shirt to sing "A Young Girl’s Heart". And yes, there were plenty of teenage female fans at the concert!



Then came "Not Afraid of Loneliness"—with over 10,000 people in the Coliseum at night, hardly to feel lonely.



Another outfit change? Why not—it suited the summer vibe!
Every outfit looked great.
Every song was amazing.
Truly one of the very best concerts ever held in Hong Kong!

Then came "Because of You", and I suddenly felt this strong urge to hold onto this moment.




Leslie said:
"Tomorrow morning, when you wake up all groggy… think of me."




Preserve yesterday, deep in my heart
Never letting go, carrying it into the future
For one day, when I’m lonely again
I can relive this love

Wait… was that music coming from a radio?
Am I in my bedroom?

Turns out—it was all a dream.
Life is like a dream.
Beautiful memories slip through our fingers.

All we can do… is dream them again 🌈

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